Cholera kills 50 in Northwest

Cholera has killed 50 people in the Northwest, health officials said yesterday.

This is the latest outbreak of the disease, which has claimed thousands of lives across the country since 2010.

The latest infections struck in Zamfara State, where residents began drinking water directly from streams and untreated wells after a main water pipeline was forced to shut.

“We have recorded an outbreak of cholera in the past one week in six local government areas of the state which has resulted in the death of 50 people while several others have been hospitalised,” Zamfara State Health Commissioner Kabiru Janyau told AFP.

Road construction in Gusau, the state capital, forced officials to close a main pump, leading to water shortage in parts of the state, Janyau said.

“People have turned to streams and open wells for drinking water which led to the outbreak,” he said.

Also, Alhaji Bala Oroji, the Deputy Director of Health of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, has said five persons died of suspected cholera at Barkeji village in the local government.

Oroji spoke yesterday in Tambuwal an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said the deceased were between 27 and 30 years.

The deputy director said three persons, a female and two males, died on October 14, of the nine infected.

“Also, a male and female died on October 19 due to the epidemic, of the remaining infected persons,” he said.

He said 11 infected persons were hospitalised on Sunday at the Barkeji community’s dispensary.

According to him, four of the affected persons were discharged yesterday, while the remaining seven on admission at the health centre are still receiving treatment.

Oroji said adequate drugs and medicaments had been supplied to the dispensary by the local government.

“We thank God that the situation is under control and we are even expecting to discharge the remaining infected persons either today or tomorrow,” he added.

The deputy director said the local government had embarked on massive public enlightenment campaign to educate the people on the need to maintain good sanitary environment.

“The campaign is to sensitise the people to the need to keep their environment clean, drink clean water and also ensure personal hygiene.

“We have reported the incident to the state Ministry of Health and it had assisted the community with additional drugs,” Oroji said.

The Federal Ministry of Health will investigate a suspected outbreak of cholera in Namu village in Qua’pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, an official of the ministry has said.

Dr Akin Oyemakinde, the chief consultant epidemiologist in the ministry, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja that the investigation would determine the kind of intervention to be deployed to the community.